Chapter 239: New Techniques

Disclaimer:

Naruto and all of its characters belong to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto.

I own nothing but the original characters I create.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

-Author notes-

Chapter 239: New Techniques

"Ahh!!" Ino went flying after being hit by a black-robed ninja with a white mask.

"Damn it, take this!" She recovered in the air and sent a barrage of water blades at her target. The masked ninja vanished into smoke after the impact, but two more equally dressed men took his place and rushed at Ino.

She took a battle stance, as Naruto had taught her, and exchanged some moves with the two individuals.

The blonde kunoichi tried her best, but she quickly found herself being overwhelmed once more when fighting at such close range with no one to support her.

"Urgg!" She received a kick to her side that made her lose her balance, and the two masked men took the opening to attack her again.

Ino was prepared for some pain, but then she heard a loud voice resonating over the clearing.

"Okay, that's enough." As soon as Naruto spoke, the clones disappeared.

She stood up and glanced at Naruto as he approached, a frown on her face. "Why did you have to make them look like that?" He had transformed all the clones used for her training into those uniforms resembling ROOT agents.

"I thought it would help motivate you to fight back and improve," Naruto explained.

"Did I improve?..." She wasn't sure of that.

It had been two days since they arrived in this forest. Naruto had tried to show her a few moves she could use when fighting at close quarters, but Ino was having trouble implementing them.

"It's only been two days. Shake off the dust and try again," Naruto said while taking out a scroll from his robes and handing it to Ino.

"What is this?" she asked, curious about the contents of the scroll.

"You can read it later, after we return from this trip. It's a very powerful movement technique called 'Crystal Wave.' Make sure to study it properly."

"A movement technique? So I'll be able to move faster with this?" she asked.

"Much like the one I use, it's divided into several stages. If you master them all, it will allow you to do considerably more than just move faster. This one, in particular, also has some offensive moves in the later stages," he explained.

"That sounds awesome!" Ino exclaimed. "Did you also give this to Hinata?"

"I prepared a different one for her," Naruto responded.

"How come you know so many different movement techniques when you always use the same one?..." Ino had some suspicions about the origin of these techniques.

Naruto could tell what she was getting at. "These belong to an old friend of mine. The one I gave you was something she learned after unlocking the full potential of her special physique."

"She..." Ino didn't know how she felt about receiving something that likely belonged to an old Dao companion of Naruto.

She was aware that he had memories from a previous life but had never put much thought into Naruto having other romantic interests before meeting her and Hinata.

"Ino… there's no point in getting jealous of someone who has likely passed away already. This was a very long time ago in a completely different life."

"I know that, but…" She couldn't help it.

"Looks like Hinata is finally done with her training session…" Naruto saw the other girl approaching with a satisfied smile as she carried a scroll in her hands.

The technique he gave Hinata was called 'Ripple Step,' and even though it was something that his old dao companion had used during her earlier days, it was not something to be looked down upon.

All the techniques and resources given to that girl were some of the best the Sword Sect had to offer. They truly spoiled her too much.

"Were you also fighting those masked guys?" Ino asked her friend.

"Masked guys?... No," Hinata looked confused for a moment.

"You didn't change the clones for her?" Ino asked.

"She didn't need extra motivation," Naruto brushed her off. "Now, grab onto me. We're going to a different place for the last day."

The two girls held onto his arms without questioning him, but their expressions showed their increasing curiosity.

Naruto activated his teleportation jutsu and brought them all away from the forest.

In the next instant, they found themselves in a rocky area, in front of a small-looking cave entrance. Nothing special could be seen at first glance.

"Where are we?..." Ino glanced around, not recognizing the layout of the place.

"Around fifty miles south of Konoha. In a rocky area called Devil's Fang," Naruto answered her.

"Ah, yes. I was here once with my team," Hinata said. "We had to escort a merchant from the Land of Tea, and we crossed a valley nearby… this place was swarming with wolves."

"Indeed. There are many dangerous beasts in this land. That's why most people avoid it. And that's also why I chose it. Come on, follow me." Naruto began walking into the cave.

Ino and Hinata looked at each other, but neither of them had any idea why Naruto had brought them here.

The entrance to the cave was small enough to force them to hunch their backs to avoid hitting their heads on the ceiling, but after walking for a bit, it began to expand.

Naruto created a flame in his hand to serve as a source of light.

"There are protective seals on the walls," Ino noted.

"Did you put them in place, Naruto? What are you guarding in here?" Hinata asked.

Naruto didn't mention it to them, but there were a lot more protections than just those seals they saw. This cave was not something he wanted anyone to gain access to.

"There's chakra in here… but it feels strange," Hinata said. She activated her Byakugan and could see some unknown energy flowing through the cave like a river, and the source seemed to be in the direction they were traveling.

"You'll get your answers in a moment. The main chamber is just ahead," Naruto told them as he guided them deeper into the cave until they reached a large stone door with foreign symbols carved into it.

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